Potato-rarer



J. WARD.

POTATO PARBE.

.(No Model.)

. No. 457,804. Patented Aug.- 18, 1891.

I Wm/mm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH XVARD, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

POTATO-PARER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,804, dated August 18, 1891. Application filed December 29,1890- Serial No. 376,155. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH WARD, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Potato-Parers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to 'the drawings accompanying this application.

In this invention two pivoted jaws are used, one of which is clamped to a table or bench. The lower jaw has a head provided with a spur. The upper one has a similar head, in which turns a fork provided with similar spurs. The potato is held between the two heads and is revolved by turning the" fork. A spring-arm holding the knife is attached to a pin projecting laterally from the pivot end on one side, and the knife is made to sweep around the potato by moving the springarm from one jaw to the other of the device. The knife is guided in its sweep by curved arms attached to the two jaws of the device, said guides crossing each other.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device, the two jaws being opened, a potato shown in dotted lines clamped therein, and the knife in position for peeling the same. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same on an enlarged scale in line a: to. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the jointed end of the device. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the knife in line y g of Fig. 1. i

A A indicate the two jaws, consisting of arms, which are pivoted together at a. The lower jaw is attached rigidly to a table or bench B by a clamp b, as shown in Fig. 1. Preferably the device stands in an inclined position longitudinally, as shown in Fig. 1, and also in an inclined position laterally, as shownin Fig. 2, to facilitate the action of peeling the potato. The lower jaw is provided with a solid head 0, having a single spur 61, while the upper jaw has a tubular headj', in which rests and turns a fork C. This fork has a knob g on top, by which it is turned by hand, and on its lower end it has two or more spurs hh for holding the potato. The potato, placed between the two jaws, as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 1, turns readily as it is held by the upper spurs and revolves on the lower one.

D is a long spring-arm provided at one end with a knife E, by which the potato is peeled, and at the other with a hole, which fits loosely over a pin is, projecting laterally from the pivot end of one of the jaws A.

Z Z. are two curved arms forming guides cast 7 or formed solid with the two jaws and cross ing each other, as shown in Fig. 2. The spring D, after being attached to the pin it, rests against the inner sides of these guides, 6 5 and the latter are of such curvature as to guide the spring as it moves up and down and give the knife a circular sweep approximating the curvature of the potato.

In use the knife is pressed out back of the potato, bending the spring overthe guides 11, which serve as a fulcrum, thereby keeping the pivot end of the spring in engagement with the pin k. The two guides Z Z are provided with slots m to near the jaws, in which 7 5 rest the ends of coiled springs n n. The arms of these springs, which pass through the slots I from the inside, are provided with hooks n n, which reach beyond the slots and prevent the detachment of the springs. The upper hook is long enough to allow the spring-arm to be depressed without losing its hold of the guide. The object of these springs is to serve as cushions to break the shock of the spring arm D at the end of its stroke in case of any undue movement; also, to react and throw the spring-arm back after the knife has done its work.

19 p are small inclined lugs on the jaws 'A A, standing in such position that when the 0 knife is thrown fully up or down its curved frame 'I' will strike one of said lugs and the knife will be thrown off away from the heads of the jaws, thus preventing the dulling of the cutting-edges of the knife.

The knife consists of a right-angled frame, in which is set two cutting-blades s .9, standing at right angles to each other, as shown in the cross-section, Fig. at. The base of each of these blades rests in a seat t of the frame, so xco that the cutting-edge can move in and out, and the outward movement is gaged by a stop it.

o is a double-acting spring at each end of the knife, passing centrally around a stud w of the knife-frame, the outer ends being bent and pressing against the cutting-blades alitthe distance in from the base. The tendency is to force the blades outward against the stops LL u; but under pressure they yield inward. Therefore, in the act of peeling a potato one blade will cut into the potato to remove the peel, while the other will yield away from it.

Having described my invent-ion, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a potato-parer, the combination of the two pivoted jaws A A, provided with the curved guides Z Z and the lower jaw provided with the single spur d, the fork C, turning in the upper jaw and provided with the spurs h h, the spring-arm D, jointed to a pin is of one of the jaws and resting against the curved guides, and the knife E, attach ed to the springarm, as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

2. In a potato-parer, the combination of the two pivoted jaws A A, provided with the curved guides Z Z, the spring-arm D, jointed to a pin projecting from one of said jaws and resting against said guides, the knife E, attached to the spring-arm, and the coiled springs '22 n, attached in slots at the ends of the guides, said springs serving as cushions to the spring-arm, as herein shown and de scribed.

3. In a potato-paler, the combination of the two pivoted jaws A A, provided with curved guides ll andwith inclined lugs 19 p, the springarm D, jointed to a pin on one of the jaws and resting against the guides, and the knife E, attached to the end of the spring-arm, the whole so arranged, as described, that at the extent of the up-and-down stroke the knifeframe strikes the lugs and is thrown outward thereby, as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a potato-parer, the combination, with the right-angled knife-frame E, of the two blades 3 s, set at right angles to each other and having free movement at their cuttingedges, the stud 10, attached to the frame, and the spring 12, passing centrally around the stud and bearing at its outer ends against the opposite blades near their base, as and for the purpose specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH \VARD.

Vitnesses:

R. F. Oscoon, M. D. PHILLIPS. 

